Be careful. If you have solid wood church pews- permanently upholstering them could be a big mistake. There is a better solution that will make (almost) everybody happy.

I understand. Once a church community gets the idea of a nicely padded seat beneath them as opposed to solid wood- the pressure can be deafening. And when they find that they can soften the underside of things up for what may seem to be a cheap price- it’s hard to stop the momentum. But stop you should-particularly if you plan for the future.

How will you fix this wear and tear without damaging the fabric?

Solid wood pews are very valuable. Yes- a select few manufacturers still make them but they cost an exorbitant amount. Just try to have a new church pew manufacturer make new pews of the same structure as your existing solid wood pews. They’ll work hard to talk you out of it. If, by chance, they actually bid it to you- you’ll find out the real value of what you have. New, all solid wood church pews cost upwards of $300. per foot! That's why most manufacturers will gently guide you away from them and into a much cheaper style that features pressboard seats hidden by foam, razor thin veneers, lots of upholstery and no pew ends. The value of your existing solid wood pews is why it’s important to seriously consider your upholstering options.

The worst thing you can do is to permanently affix foam and upholstery using the pews seat and back as the substructure. Yes- I know- it’s cheap! But consider a few things.

How will you refinish the wood portion of the pews when the finish fades? What damage will be done to the solid wood? Many companies use foam on just the seat and then glue carpeting to the seat backs up and over the top rail and then down the rear face (where the book racks are). When the upholstery is dated- how will you remove and replace the old fabric? Can you glue new fabric over old adhesive?

Poorly done work that won't last.

Carpet-like fabric glued to the seat back and around the top rail. Hand wear on the top rail comes fast and quickly looks dirty.

The best solution for padding the seats of solid wood pews is to add a removable upholstered seat pad.

Why? First of all- the pads can be replaced without refinishing the pews and the pews can be refinished without replacing the pads. That’s big! It beats the cost of doing both the pews refinishing AND the reupholstering at the same time. Secondly, it does almost no damage to your solid wood pews which- if refinished properly- can last a lifetime. (New cheap upholstered pews have a life of about ten years- uff!)

Be sure you get the seat pads that have a plywood base that is curved to match the curve of the seat. Also make sure that the fabric is compressed with the foam BEFORE attaching the fabric to the plywood so that you will get a taught fit that won’t dimple.